Fruit Flies!

[Mike H]

They are driving me crazy. I have taken all fruit / food off the counter. Whats next? How can I get rid of them, short of spraying my sink and counter with pesticide

[Jim]

Sometimes they hang out in potted plants. If you have no pets or kids some pesticide in a dish of water can work.

[mretzloff]

They live on fruit, so when you purchase some at the store, you may be carrying them home with you. At least that has been my experience. Just check the fruit before you purchase it next time. As for getting rid of them, put your fruit in a bag or carton, and the flys should go away within a few days.

I cannot stand them either, especially since they attract house spiders, which I hate even more.

[dpm802]

They live on fruit, so when you purchase some at the store, you may be carrying them home with you.

+1 ... they especially can be found on "Organic" fruits.

I got an infestation when I brought home some Organic bananas. The kitchen and dining room was filled with flies within a couple of days. The only way I found to get rid of them was to knock them out with a fly swatter. It took about a week of constant swatting, but eventually, I got them all.

I never bought any more Organic fruit, and I never had any more problems with fruit flies after that.

[djh]

I saw a post on this very subject recently (it is obviously a seasonal thing) and the suggested solution was a simple fruit fly trap. Required equipment: one drinking glass, a little wine, liquid soap and aluminium foil.

Fill the glass half-full with wine. Add a good pump of liquid soap and swirl to mix. Form the aluminium foil into a cup shape (to fit over the top of the glass) and then make a half inch hole in the centre of the foil. The flies are obviously attracted to the wine, the foil allows them to enter the cup but makes it difficult for them to leave. The soap in the wine reduces surface tension so that they will quickly drown rather than sitting on the surface of the wine in the glass.

[luvmysuper]

Time flies when your having fun, and Fruit Flies when you have a banana.

If they are truly fruit flies and not drain flies, you could be bringing them in the house with your fruit. Wash your fruit outside before you bring it in the house to ensure that eggs possibly laid on your fruit don't hatch in your kitchen.
If they are being attracted, then make sure that fruit is covered or refrigerated.

Existing infestations can be trapped with the paper funnel in a jar trick, or a bowl with some water, a little fruit juice, vinegar, and dish washing liquid. The fruit juice and vinegar attract them, and the dish washing liquid reduces surface tension and they drown.
Drain flies are a whole different matter and can be a real pain to get rid of once they take up residence.

[Mike H]

Thanks guys, will try the wine/soap/foil trap.

[oc_in_fw]

time flies like the wind, fruit flies like bananas.

[oc_in_fw]

Thanks guys, will try the wine/soap/foil trap.

Off topic, but my wife was watching Paula Dean today, and she had a guest on. The guest said- "You know what I like about recipes that say 'add a half bottle of wine?' I know where the other half is going"

[Gruder]

Apple cider vinegar works in place of the wine, as well. Don't use too much soap -- its only purpose is to break the surface tension of the liquid. Good luck!

[kbuzbee]

Sometimes they hang out in potted plants.

You are so right, Jim!

I finally decided to try house plants again after many miserable failure over the last 40 years. The plants are over a year old now and still doing fine but we have these danged gnat things everywhere. Ugh!

Ken

[ouch]

Leave an open bottle of The Veg on the counter.

Fruit flies may have one of the smallest brains in the animal kingdom, but they're not stupid.



(Oh boy. Here it comes.)

[luvmysuper]

Leave an open bottle of The Veg on the counter.

Fruit flies may have one of the smallest brains in the animal kingdom, but they're not stupid.



(Oh boy. Here it comes.)

[jmwebster]

I second the the suggestion to use apple cider vinegar. Save the wine for drinking!

[superbleu]

if the trap doesn't work fast enough, or you want to get rid of more flies faster.

Fill a spray bottle with some rubbing alcohol and hose them down.
It will knock them out of the air, this should kill them too, but if not just mop them up with a paper towel.

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Sometimes they hang out in potted plants.

Jim:
...gnats also, but we have been using Schultz Insect Spray. We spray it directly on all of our plants and around the top of nthe pots for gnats, fruit flies and other bugs (sugessted by our local gardner as safe for plants...and it works).

"Fruit / plant flies really put my "all creatures great and small" creed to the test". Terri Guillemets

[xXClockwork]

Put a glass with apple cider vinegar on the counter. Cover with aluminum foil, poking holes in the foil. They will fly down into the glass and become trapped, and then drown in the vinegar.

[Talal]

^^^

similarly you can take a large ziploc bag, pour some apple cider vinegar at the bottom and put some pieces of cut up fruit. seal the bag in a way so that it stands up and only has a small opening, they will all fly in to the bottom. Then you can easily squash them every few hours until their population has diminished!

[bakerbarber]

Slivovitz works too to drown them.

It's the fastest thing I've ever seen attract and kill fruit flies.